Sunday, July 21, 2013

when life gives you lemons...

you can make a smorgasbord of food! Strawberry-lemon beverages, lemon-almond pesto, lemon spring risotto, lemony hummus and tonight's dinner - roasted lemon basil chicken. This recipe is adapted from the Dr. Oz show. 
4-5 pound chicken (cook for about 18 minutes per pound)
1 cup fresh basil
2 lemons (will need zest and juice)
1 nice size bunch thyme (I used lemon thyme from my friend Suzanne's garden)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons EVOO
1 tablespoon honey
4 cloves garlic, minced
Preheat oven to 350. Wash and pat chicken dry. Place in roasting pan and salt and pepper well. In a bowl combine lemon zest, juice. EVOO, softened butter, honey, chopped basil, garlic, about a teaspoon of thyme leaves, teaspoon salt and half teaspoon pepper. Rub mixture all over chicken (both sides, covering whole bird). Pour any excess mixture in the cavity of the bird and place remaining bunch of thyme and halved lemon remains inside as well. Tie legs together to hold in filling, S&P the chicken once more. Our chicken was about 5 pounds, and I roasted it for just under 90 minutes, basting occasionally. Allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes. There will be a fair amount of juice in the pan that is delicious. I sauteed some zucchini and squash with a bit of the sauce and served it over bow-tie pasta along with the chicken. This chicken is juicy and full of flavor - enjoy!

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